More details have surfaced about BMW's electric Mini Cooper project: EVO is reporting that a source close to the company's plans said that the Mini EV will not feature lithium-ion batteries like the Tesla Roadster, nor will it have motors at each wheel.

"We've been doing trials for the past nine years and haven't got either to work satisfactorily," the source was quoted as saying. The report said that BMW's long-term goal is to get hydrogen power to work, but in the meantime they plan on using Efficient Dynamics, mild hybrids, and full hybrids as stepping stones. 'Project i,' meanwhile, exists for the company to build better city cars; the Mini Cooper electric vehicle falls under this umbrella.

The report said that Plant Oxford is currently building several hundred Mini Coopers without engines; those cars will then be shipped to Munich to have electric engines and related systems installed.